COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

Comparatives Let’s say that I have two cars. I have a little Volkswagen and a big Ford. A comparative is used to show the difference between the two. Comparatives are used to show the difference between two objects. The Ford is bigger than the Volkswagen The Volkswagen is smaller than the Ford

Rule 1 If an adjective has 1 syllable we add the ending –er to the adjective. The ant is smaller than the hippo. = harder than = smaller thansmall+ er hard+ er

Rule 2 If a one-syllable adjective ends with a consonant + a vowel + a consonant (C+V+C) you must double the last consonant and then add –er. The elephant is fatter than the giraffe. = fatter than = bigger thanbig+ er fat+ er

Rule 3 If an adjective ends with a “y”, remove the “y” and add –ier –ier. ierKaty Perry Miley Cyrus is trashier than Katy Perry = happier than = funnier thanfunny ier + ier happy ier + ier trashy: young people who lack class. They usually wear sporty, provocative clothes, big earrings, lots of necklaces. They speak slang variety of English and only worry about gossiping and partying.

Rule 4 more If an adjective has two syllables or more, we add more. The butterfly is more beautiful than the frog. = more ambitious than = more expensive thanmore expensive + expensive more ambitious + ambitious

Rule 5 There are a few exceptions. = worse than = better thangood bad = farther thanfar His haircut is worse than his.

Remember, when using a comparative you must always follow it with the word “than”. The Volkswagen is smaller than the Ford. The Ford is bigger than the Volkswagen. The ant is smaller than the hippo. The elephant is fatter than the giraffe. The girl is happier than the duck. The butterfly is more beautiful than the frog.

Superlatives Superlatives are used to show the difference between more than two objects. Let’s say that there are three cars parked in the street. A superlative is used to show the differences that exist in the group. The white van is the biggest. (on the left) The red car is the smallest.

The ant is the smallest. Rule 1 If an adjective has 1 syllable we add the ending –est to the adjective. = the hardest = the smallestsmall+ est hard+ est

The hippo is the fattest. Rule 2 If a one-syllable adjective ends with a consonant + a vowel + a consonant (C+V+C) you must double the last consonant and then add –er. = the fattest = the biggestbig+ est fat+ est

The blue whale is the heaviest mammal in the world. Rule 3 If an adjective ends with a “y”, remove the “y” and add –iest –iest. happiest = the happiest funniest = the funniestfunny iest + iest happy iest + iest

The Porsche Spider is the most expensive car. Rule 4 the most If an adjective has two syllables or more, we add the most. = the most ambitious = the most expensive the most expensive + expensive the most ambitious + ambitious

football team Villarreal is the best football team in the world. Rule 5 There are a few exceptions. = the worst = the bestgood bad = the farthestfar